Needless Protection
by nothingtodo
Summary: AU. A political revolution results in assasination attempts on the heir of the throne, Princess Sakura K. She insists on self-defence-i-can-do-it-with-my-bare-hands, but gets a 'bodyguard' anyway. And a very stunning and grumpy one at that.
1. Mr Bodyguard

Something that knocked on my skull and refused to budge. Hope you like it! And to those who know me, no, I'm not leaving the Slam Dunk section! Come on, I'm almost engaged to Rukawa. And Sendoh. And Maki. Oh, and Mitsui. ^_^

Confession: I haven't been following the CCS series very loyally. I've only seen the movie, actually, and happen to think Sakura and Syaoran make a cute couple. ^_^ So if I get anything wrong, or misspell the names or make another dozen mistakes no rightful CCS fan would, alert me, okay? Thanks!

            An arrow, light and long in built, zoomed across the hall unnoticed and unseen, silently heading for its doomed target. It was fast and professionally released by someone who no doubt knew what he was doing. The arrow was inescapable. The victim would be dead in six seconds.

            At the fourth second, Princess Sakura Kinomoto looked up and jerked her head fifty degrees to the left.

            The arrow passed by her right eye and struck the wood chair that she was sitting on. It stuck out like an ornament, all feathery and straight.

            Sakura blinked for a moment. And then she shook her head. "Oh dear."

            Her ladies in waiting were chalk-pale, and half had already swooned to the floor in shock. The head of ladies-in-waiting, a brunette who called herself Tomoyo, raised a shaking hand to her heart in a futile attempt to steady it. "Sakura!" she exclaimed, dropping all formalities as she always did when she was panicked. "That's the fifth time today!"

            "I know," Sakura shrugged. "I can count too, you know," she added with a wicked grin.

            "How – how can you –" Tomoyo stammered in suppressed frustration, "How can you _smile_ at me like that after an assassination attempt on your life???! Are you crazy??" 

             "Since birth," the princess assured her. "Relax, Tomoyo. They didn't succeed, did they? I'm still very much alive and talking."

            "Clearly," Tomoyo sighed. "But if you had seen it a second too late, you would've – it could've – aaaargh! I don't want to think about it!"

             Sakura patted her on the shoulder comfortingly, their roles ironically reversed – the victim soothing the supporter. "Oh, it's going to take more than that to murder me. Don't be insulting, Tomoyo. And look, here comes the castle guards, probably wanting to tell us the assassin had escaped and that I had better go to my chamber for safety."

            "Your Highness," the tallest of the guards spoke up. "The assassin has escaped. You better go to your chamber for safety."

            Sakura nodded obediently and chuckled as the guards left. "It really gets to me whenever he calls me 'Your Highness'," she informed. "He's two feet taller than I am! I should be the one calling him 'Your Heightness'."

            Tomoyo, however, refused to be distracted, and with a firm grip, she steered the princess to the right hallway, leaving the rest of the ladies in waiting who were still unconscious on the floor. "This is serious, Your Highness," she whispered urgently. "This is the fifth attempt today, and the twentieth in total for this week. I swear if I see another arrow, I'm going to die of excessive aggravation."

            "It's only expected," Sakura muttered dully, noticing that her father's spies were all around them (hidden, of course. They _are_ spies, after all) to watch over her short journey to her room. "Father's condition is getting worse every day." Her eyes clouded. "It's not going to be long before the country needs a new Emperor again. Naturally, Emperor-wannabes are trying to get rid of any heir to the crown for them to have a go at it."

            "But you're just a girl," Tomoyo argued.

            "Doesn't change my birthright." Sakura pointed out. "Some people just do what they feel they have to do, regardless if I'm a girl or a guy or a chipmunk." She looked back and saw that Tomoyo was struggling to hold back tears. "I'm going to be all right, Tomoyo," Sakura told her, knowing what was troubling her friend. "You don't think I went through all those self-defense training since I was two for nothing. You know I'm capable of taking care of myself."

            "I know," Tomoyo nodded, wiping tears away. "But … mistakes happen. I don't mean to insult you, Your Highness, but unexpected things happen when you least expect them. I don't want you taking any chances."

            "I won't."

            "It's just that you're so cheerful and carefree about this. I mean, someone – or _more_ than one – is out there trying to take your life and you're …" Tomoyo gestured at the grinning Sakura. "And you're grinning at me!"

            "Smile and the world smiles with you."

            They reached her richly furnished chamber and pushed the door open. "Your Highness," Tomoyo began doubtfully, "aren't you… aren't you even a little scared by all this?"

            Sakura laughed. "Tomoyo, I'm downright terrified."

            She was summoned to the Emperor's room not long after that. Knowing very well what the topic of discussion would be, Sakura tried to think of a dozen different ways for her to shrug the incident off. As if her father didn't have enough to worry about without adding a stupid assassination attempt of her life to the list.

            _Honestly_, Sakura bristled, _some people have no consideration._

            "Princess Sakura Kinomoto," the guard announced as she entered. Heading straight for her father, Sakura paused to curtsy and then rushed head on. "It's all right, father," she said even before the Emperor had a chance to reply to her greeting. "I'm not hurt. It's nothing serious. Somebody got bored and thought he'd try his archery skills, that's all."

            Emperor Kinomoto struggled to hide a smile. His daughter downplayed everything that concerned her. He was sure if Sakura had somehow came upon a dragon, the most she'd say was, "Oh, and I saw a big lizard last afternoon."

            Sakura waited for some sort of response from her father, but received none. "So," she muttered, rubbing her forehead awkwardly. "Everything's fine. I think I'll go practice horse-riding."

            "Everything's not fine, Sakura," the Emperor spoke up then. He was leaning heavily and tiredly against his throne, though his eyes twinkled with life. "And you know as well as I do that no matter how you practice your horse-riding, it's not going to change anything." He cleared his dry throat. "They've killed your brother, and now they're about to kill you."

            Sakura looked down at her feet.

            "Your brother refused extra protection," her father reminisced sadly, "just as you refuse it now. I accommodated him then, and look what it brought me. It's not going to be the same with you."

            Sakura opened her mouth to protest.

            "I know what you're thinking, Sakura," the Emperor interrupted. "I know what you're planning, and why you refuse to have guards trailing after you." He leaned forward and stared at his daughter right in the eye. "You plan to avenge your brother, and you want to do it alone."

            "I'm a capable fighter," Sakura insisted, "and even if you place ten thousand guards all around me, at the end of the day, it's going to be me against the assassinator. There's no point in extra protection from something inevitable."

            "But I'm not placing ten thousand guards around you," her father pointed out calmly. "One is more than enough."

            Sakura raised an eyebrow at the almost insignificant number. "One?"

            "He's outside." Her father gave her a pleading look. "Do it for me, Sakura. I hardly ever ask you for anything."

            Because it was true, and because she loved her father dearly, Sakura held back the objection she was about to make and sighed quietly. "All right," she consented. "Anything for you." 

"He's a good man, Sakura. He will be your protector, and if the need arises, your fighting comrade."

            She went forward and kissed her father on the cheek. "Get well."

            "I'm doing my best." 

"Hmm. I'll go meet my bodyguard."

            The surly tone made the Emperor laugh.  "Careful," he warned her. "He's grumpy."

            _Bodyguard,_ Syaoran Li thought darkly as he paced the elaborate garden. _What on earth do they take me for?? I'm not some big-boned, muscular whale who grunts like an elephant and tosses people over the roof. _

            "That's because the princess doesn't need a big-boned, muscular whale who grunts like an elephant and tosses people over the roof," his mother had patiently countered his furious complaint just this morning. "Now, we've got to make you look good for the royalties…"

            "I don't want to do it," he had stubbornly stood his ground. "I don't even remotely like the royal high-nosed, ape-descendants. What makes you think I'm going to take the trouble to protect them? Haven't they got enough burly men to clash axes already?"

            "We _have got_ to go something about your tongue," his mother had shaken her head.

            "Why do I have to do this?" Syaoran had ranted on. "Why is it that we kneel at every order they give? What have they given us in return anyway?" He gestured at their crumbling house and modest food stock. "They starve us like unwanted baboons and then turn to us when they're in trouble? Hah!"

            "That's why you should go," his mother had told him. "By offering your service, the Emperor might notice us and turn his attention to us. And your patriotism could do with some upgrading." His mother had by then finished fussing with him and had looked back in satisfaction. "Every bit the handsome lad you are," she'd said proudly. "You won't look out of place next to the pretty princess."

            "I bet she has crossed eyes and warts all over her face."

            His mother had just laughed and kissed his snarling face.

            And now here he was, standing right in the royal courtyard and glaring at the petunias blooming over the railings. 

            Suddenly feeling disturbance in the still air, he looked sharply to his right. The princess – he was sure of it by the way she was dressed – stood at one corner of the courtyard, far away from him, her eyes scanning around. The light in her pupils showed resigned acceptance and subtle frustration, but her pose was relaxed. 

            The sight of her staggered him, for some reason. _Okay…_ he thought as he steadied his breathing. _No crossed eyes and warts on her face after all._ __

And then she saw him, and her eyes widened in what could be termed as surprise and her relaxed pose grew slightly tense in unexpected anxiety. 

            They've met.

Wahahahahahaha! Man, Syaoran is cute. ^_^


	2. not me too!

Second chapter! Will ask nothing more but that you enjoy it!

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            Sakura couldn't figure out why she was suddenly rendered speechless. She was almost certain she'd had a lot to say to her newly appointed 'protector'. She'd conjured up an entire five-minutes speech too.

            _Dear Mr. Bodyguard, I am very happy to meet you. As happy as I am, however, I believe we have certain things to discuss and decide on. For example, I really don't appreciate having you follow me around like a shadow, so maybe we can find a ground of compromise on that? … _blah blah blah.

            But that was before she'd seen him.

            He was surprisingly young – she'd imagined a man in his fifties. He was also lean and small, without an ounce of fat on his body – she'd expected a man with muscles bulging out of his ears. He had no weapon with him at the moment – she'd predicted at least ten axes and five swords hanging around the waist. And most importantly, she'd anticipated a scarred man, withered and beaten from endless battles, not a fresh, clean and upright adolescent with a stunning face that could be likened to a dissatisfied angel who wasn't afraid to show it.

            Not that she was complaining, but still…

            He was staring rudely and far longer than what was polite, but then again, so was she. Clearing her throat with some effort, she flashed a smile. "Hello, I'm Princess Sakura Kinomoto."

            He did not say anything and continued to look at her. But then, his lips curled upwards in a half-smile and half-sneer. "Obviously," he muttered, and then as if he just remembered, reluctantly added: "Your Highness."

            Sakura barely resisted raising an eyebrow. _Grumpy, all right._ _What's crawled up his nerves?_ "Well," she decided to get on with her speech. "Dear Mr. Bodyguard, I am very-"

            "I'm not your bodyguard," he interrupted snippily.

            "Sorry?"

            "I'm not your bodyguard, so get that in your head." he repeated, hand on one hip. "I was forced here and have no intention of lifting even my little finger for you."

            Sakura blinked. Her brain had trouble understanding a rude speech that she rarely received. "Well, excuse me," she murmured, too shocked to be annoyed. "I'm glad we're getting off to a good start."

             "We're not starting anything," he pointed out. "We're ending it."

             "Well," Sakura released a breath. "Well then." Insulted that she was being treated so harshly when she didn't deserve it, she frowned at him. "That's just fine, because I was about to tell you that I don't need you anyway. And since you feel the same, then it's relieved I am to know I won't have you hogging my footsteps. Surely you've noticed that I have no need for petty protection and that I alone can sufficiently defend myself. But thank you for coming. It's been a pleasure to meet you."

            He was glaring at her furiously. "Petty protection? I'm not some petty protection," he muttered. "And you can't even hit a mosquito sucking your blood."

            Sakura opened her mouth to retort right back, but then remembered her manners. No way was she going to let this idiot provoke her. "I believe you were anxious to be off. The door is over at your left. Feel free to leave anytime at all."

            With one seething glower, he turned to go when inborn instinct had him lifting a hand out to catch something hurtling for his chest. It was a white arrow, finely made. Sakura watched as he broke the arrow into two with only three fingers in anger. 

            "Great," he was muttering under his breath, but loud enough for her benefit. "Now they're after me too."

            "They must've heard by now that you're my –"

            "I'm _not_ yours," he cut her off, eyeing the entire courtyard keenly. "And by Heaven, I'll get whoever it was stupid enough to think he can kill me with a mere arrow." He caught sight of something. "You get back to your fancy little room. Some people have better things to do than watch over you."

            And then he was off, sprinting on light feet over the grass and chasing after something. He was gone even before Sakura had taken the next breath. 

            "What a –" Sakura tried to describe him. "What an impertinent jerk! Go back to my fancy little room? Better things to do than watch over me?" She started to follow after him. "I've got eyes too, don't I? I can watch over myself just fine!"

            Syaoran's eyes were intent on the pursued. The offender was clothed in all black – pretty stupid actually since it was daytime – and he was moving fast.

            _Too bad I'm faster._

            With one mighty leap, Syaoran shot into the air and landed right on the offender's back, bringing him crashing down to the ground. Gruffly, Syaoran turned him around and looked into terrified blue eyes. "Hey there," he said casually. "Sorry about this, but you _did_ send an arrow to my heart."

            "Get off! Gerroff!"

            "What's your name?"

            "I won't tell you! Get off me! Let me go!"

            "I like getting to know people who try to kill me," Syaoran informed him. "Now, if you're smart, you'll stop struggling and answer my questions like civilized people. What's your name? Why are you here?"

            "I'm –" the offender gritted his teeth. "I'm here to kill the princess."

            "I'm not the princess, am I? But you tried to kill me. You have trouble telling between sexes?"

            "I – I was told to kill you first! You're her – you're her protector –"

            "Not if I can help it," Syaoran murmured. "Who sent you?"

            The offender was dead. Surprised, Syaoran looked down and saw the dagger sticking out from his side. Clearly, somebody saw the need to shut the offender up. Looking up again, Syaoran looked for the culprit but realized he'd been too slow. 

            "Darn." He stood up. From the corner of his eyes, he saw the princess running over, skirt bellowing behind her. "Wonderful. Next thing I know she'll trip all over her clothes."

            Sakura rushed to the dead man on the ground (without tripping over anything), ignoring Syaoran's look of utter annoyance. "We've got to get him back to the castle," she said urgently.

            Syaoran frowned ever more. "Whatever for?"

            "Well, we've got to give him a decent burial! We can't just leave him like this."

            Syaoran shook his head helplessly. "Tell me, princess, do you always treat your enemies kindly? Offer them tea and all that?"

            Sakura set her lips defiantly. "He's still a fellow human being. He deserves to be buried peacefully," she explained earnestly, and then narrowed her eyes. "When you die, I might even take the trouble to bury you too, though for entirely different reasons."

            He listened calmly to the insult. "That won't happen for a long time."

            "Unfortunately."

            He glared at her.  

            Sakura tried to lift the man – who was twice her size – up. "If you don't want to help," she muttered to Syaoran, "you can just go back to where you came from. I can very well drag the man back myself."

            Syaoran watched as she struggled, merely raising an eyebrow when blood smeared all over the princess' clothes. Then he sighed and rolled his eyes to the sky. "Step aside. I'll carry him."

            Sakura smiled gratefully at him, though it was not returned. "I'll help you with his legs." She offered.

            "Don't bother. You'll just make me drop him." 

^_^ They're getting along very well, aren't they?


	3. watch your back

Next chapter! Thank you, people/human beings/earthlings/specimens for reading!

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            Sakura quietly made her way down the corridors, humming absently to herself as she headed for the kitchen. It was a few hours after dawn, and not many people were up yet, which was how she liked it best. For the past few months, every single maid and butler had came up with some sort of excuses to walk with her every single time they saw her. Once, a stable boy tried to convince her that he was really just strolling around, although why he was strolling around on the roof of her room, she never understood.

            She knew, of course, that they were acting under some orders to watch over her, and she appreciated the concern – more or less. But when the royal cook stopped in the middle of frying a huge chicken just to make sure she got past the room safely which resulted in the cook's apron catching on fire and the chicken being burnt black, Sakura thought the whole business was getting rather out of hand.

            Sakura pushed open the door to the common room where the maids and butlers usually lounged around before getting on with their work. The peal of laughter that burst almost hysterically inside made Sakura grin. There hadn't been much laughter ever since assassination attempts began.

            Wondering what was so funny, she entered, and gaped at the sight of Tomoyo rolling on the floor, clutching desperately at her stomach. Next to her, sat Sakura's supposed bodyguard, upright with a grin on his face as he shook his head in amusement. 

            But then he noticed her. The grin faded and one eyebrow rose.

            Tomoyo only noticed Sakura after she had rolled all the way across the room. "Oh! Your Highness!" she choked. "We were just – aheheheheh – exchanging stories about our hometowns." She started laughing again. "It's just so funny!"

            Sakura wondered if she should risk helping Tomoyo up at such a delirious state. "Yes, I'm sure it is. Come now, Tomoyo, get up. You're getting dirt all over your clothes." With that, she dragged her giggling friend up by the shoulders.  

            Tomoyo hiccupped once, and then sighed contentedly. "I'll go get breakfast for all of us," she offered, and hiccupped again. "You've got to tell me more stories once I come back, Syaoran!" Waving happily, she set out for food.

            Sakura stood, dumbfounded. "Your name is Syaoran?"

            He only rubbed one eye. "Doesn't matter what my name is if you can't even remember it."

            Sakura frowned slightly. "How could I remember when I don't even know?"

            "I didn't tell you my name?"

            "No. You were a bit too busy yelling at me."

            He thought about it. "Oh yeah. I didn't tell you because I didn't think you'd care."

            Sakura realized she was still standing and that he hadn't offered her a seat like a proper gentleman. But never mind, she decided. Standing up and looking down on him when he was seated seemed to be advantageous. "Of course I'd care. I'm not a snob."

            He gave a dull look and lazily pointed out the window. One of the stable boys was busily getting the horses out for their morning exercise. "Tell me, princess," he said in a slow drawl. "What's his name?"

            Sakura studied the figure outside. "That's… Miki."

            Syaoran stood up and went to the window. "Hey there!" he called out to the boy, who looked back in surprise. "What's your name?"

            The boy flushed at the sudden attention. "Jimin, sir! Nice to meet you!"

            The smirk on Syaoran's face was so sharp it could've cut through wood. "Thanks, Jimin. My name is Syaoran. See you around." He turned back to the princess. 

            Sakura rubbed her cheek nervously. How on earth did she get that wrong? "He's got a twin," she remembered. "They're twins." She said now, quickly. "Miki and Jimin. I couldn't tell the difference because he was so far away and –"

            "Save it, princess." 

            "No, no, I do know his name, I just thought –"

            "You just thought he was nothing more than a servant so you didn't see the point in knowing his _real_ name," he finished with a roll of the eyes. 

            "No," Sakura insisted, "that's not true. He has a twin! They look alike! How was I supposed to –" She gritted her teeth and gave up when Tomoyo reappeared with three bowls of steaming porridge.

            "Better eat them hot," Tomoyo advised cheerfully. "Why, princess, do have a seat. Why are you frowning so? You're all tense and edgy. Maybe you should've slept a little longer. Syaoran, come and join us."

            He obliged without a single complaint. "Why is the princess eating her breakfast here?" he inquired casually. "Wouldn't she be better off having one of you send her food to her room so she can be spoon-fed in bed?"

            Tomoyo laughed. "The princess likes company."

            "Most of the time," Sakura added, still insulted. 

            Syaoran only shrugged. "Of course, I am no fit company for the royalty." He gave her a brief sidelong look. "I'll take my porridge somewhere else," he announced, getting up. "And by the way, princess," he said without even looking at her, "just in case," he opened the door, bowl of porridge in one hand, "my name is Syaoran Li. Try to remember that."

            Sakura could feel hot smoke coming out from her nostrils and ears. 

            When the door had closed behind him, Tomoyo smiled winningly. "He's such a nice person!" she declared.

            Sakura gave her friend a withering look. "_What?_"

            It appeared that Tomoyo wasn't alone in her high opinion of Syaoran Li. Quite a number of other people found it necessary to relate to Sakura what a charming lad Syaoran Li was, how he held interesting conversations, how he brought them to fits of giggles with mad stories and how he had an enchanting smile. The last part had come largely from the female side. 

            It contrasted so much with Sakura's own opinion of him that in the end, she concluded that he was nice to everybody – except her.

            But why?

            What on earth did she ever do to him??

            It would be okay to be hated if there had been some _basis_ to it. Some logical reasoning to explain where the hatred came from. But Syaoran Li had detested her at first sight. Was it something she did in past lives or did she greet him wrongly? Maybe he didn't like the way she said 'hello'? Maybe he didn't like the language she spoke in?

            "It doesn't matter," Sakura reminded herself out loud. "Everybody is free to hate whoever they want to hate."

            _But why???_

Brooding over it, she barely noticed a second presence until she stepped out of the hallway into the bright sunshine. Pausing as casually as she could manage, Sakura pretended to coo over a bud of flower on the ground even as her eyes scouted the area cautiously from under her fringe. 

            Somebody was around. She could feel it. But her senses weren't sharp enough to locate the exact spot. _Move a little, _she urged the unknown company silently. _Just one little scratch on the bum will do. It'll be enough for me to know._

            Nothing.

            For a few seconds, there was nothing. The air was perfectly still. 

            And then the air wavered and a rock the size of a chicken leg came hurtling for her. Sakura managed to evade it and released a small dagger in the direction where the attack came from. Her dagger hit the wall and bounced back.

            Sakura straightened carefully. _He's fast._

            "I know you're here," she announced. "Please don't do this. I don't know who you are or who you work for, but please understand that killing me to get the throne won't win you or your master the people's support."

            Silence.

            "There is a solution to this," Sakura continued. "There is no need for you to creep around looking for chances to murder me. Come right out. I will fight you."

            She felt something being aimed at her, but then something crashed loudly, and there were screams and grunts as a scuffle went underway. Hitching her skirt up, Sakura ran for the source of noise, but stopped abruptly when Syaoran emerged from a hole underneath a thick hedge. His clothes were splattered with blood. However, his face was even scarier.

            "YOU IDIOT!" he bellowed, loud enough to shake the trees. Sakura took a full step back, wincing. "What the hell were you thinking trying to hold conversations with assassins??"

            "I was just –" Sakura attempted to explain as he advanced on her, but then decided it was useless since his temper was in full swing anyway. "What did you do to him?"

            "What did I do to him?" he yelled furiously. "I hit him square in the face, tore his eyeballs out and ate them for my afternoon snack – and that is NOTHING compared to what I want to do to you!"

            She only stared at him. Clenching his fists, Syaoran barely held himself back from stomping angrily on the unoffending earth. Taking a deep breath, he spoke between gritted teeth. "The idiot killed himself before I could get some answers out of his swearing mouth," he snapped. 

            Sakura raised her eyebrows in astonishment. "Such loyalty to save his master," she murmured in awe. "How many more are going to be killed in this futile attempt?"

            "Zero," Syaoran answered. "If I kill you now and save them the trouble."

            He looked so serious that Sakura had a fleeting desire to run away screaming. "Don't say that," she reprimanded uncomfortably, bristling under the hot gaze. "I'm sorry I troubled you -"

            "Damn right you're troubling me," he interrupted. "You're troubling every single living body in this place! Your people – who for some reason seem to love you - are worrying their brains out for you and what do you do?? You walk head-on into a trap and ASK FOR A FIGHT!" He was pacing around her, ranting loudly. "_Come right out,_" he imitated her, "_I will fight you._ What was THAT?"

            "I wanted to see the face of my killer." Sakura murmured.

            Syaoran stopped right in front of her, just inches away. "Look at my face," he told her. "_This_ will be the face of your killer if I could have things go my way."

            Sakura stared into his fabulous, almost golden eyes and clearly saw that he meant every word. Clutching at the second dagger she had hidden on her left thigh, she kept the eye contact steady. "Whose side are you on?"

            "Mine." He lowered himself onto a crouch on the ground, and for a second, looked as if he was about to pounce on her. And then he was up again, and with a nasty snarl, walked away. 

            Sakura watched him go with a heart less than steady. She had escaped close death. She had been yelled at with words she wouldn't have dared utter. And the very person whom her father said would protect her had threatened her.

            All in the space of five minutes.

            Sakura willed her legs to move, but stopped when she felt something against her waist. Looking down, she saw her dagger, which she clearly remembered hurtling to the other side of the court, neatly tied to her pretty sash. She looked sharply at Syaoran's back as he exited the place. 

            _He put it here,_ she realized uneasily. _He had picked it up sometime in between his furious lecture and placed it back on my waist in the single second that he crouched down._

            Syaoran Li had fast hands.

She was not a match for him. 

            _If he's serious about killing me, _Sakura thought silently. _I better start preparing my coffin._

*nothingtodo places an order for a pretty, white coffin*


End file.
